Comedian Pat Shortt said politicians have replaced priests in the cross-hairs of his pomposity pistol.

The man, whose hugely impressive CV lists D’Unbelievables, A Skull In Connemara, The Guard and Tom and the psychotic village idiot in Father Ted, believes years of sex scandals and revelations of physical abuse has eroded the authority of Church in Ireland and much of its comedic potential.

And that’s no bad thing, said the 51-year-old, who takes his new show ‘Hey’ up North next week.

Pat, from Thurles, Co Tipperary, added: “When I started with the D’Unbelievables, I did a priest character, in those days there was a priest on every street corner.

“I wouldn’t have done it reverently either, I’d have gone for him. But I wouldn’t do it today, I just feel there has so much gone on in the Catholic church in Ireland that I don’t see the humour in it.

“I definitely wouldn’t do an affectionate priestly character again. They don’t have the importance or the authority that they once had.

“The power was the thing I would have a crack at.

“Today I would have a go at the guy who wears a sash while directing the traffic into the Novena, or little f*****g Hitlers like that. I find the ridiculousness and the pomposity so contradictory it’s hilarious.

Read More

“A lot of the audience identify with those characters too. So where I would have taken on the authority figures, the teacher, the guard, the publican, the GAA trainer the teacher, I definitely wouldn’t do an affectionate priestly character again.

“Local politicians are still fair game and then you can start looking at the local undertaker.

“I had one undertaker character, it was just the movements, body language, self importance and he had to be so bloody pious all the time. The fun part is stripping all that away and finding out who the real character is.

“My main comedy influences would’ve come from funny people around me.”

His new show Hey is part stand-up and character comedy and sketches.

Pat said: “I like to turn the theatre into the event. In the past I’ve turned the theatre into a cinema where we had a beauty pageant call the Tipperary Tulip competition. It’s based on my memories of the Rose Of Tralee or Mary of Dungloe and the characters you might have seen at events like that.

“There can be a darkness to some of the characters but even though it’s comedy you have to reflect the world as you see it and sometimes that can be dark. But people can identify with that.

“I did a sketch last year about a nun and all she wanted to do was see a mickey (penis). Now that’s funny because it’s funny and ridiculous but it’s also funny because it could be true.”

Sports fans can find all the latest local action over on our Belfast Live Sport Facebook and Twitter and also on Match Online on both Facebook and Twitter.

Keep up-to-date with all the very latest news, what's on, sport and everything else in Belfast and beyond with the Belfast Live app.

Only select news that interests you by picking the topics you want to display on the app's homepage. Plus, our enhanced user experience includes live blogs, video, interactive maps and slick picture galleries. Download it now and get involved.